Naked
by WoollyBladders
Summary: Not just a missing moment, but probably the moment most missed that wasn’t in HBP – the train ride. Ron and Hermione.
1. Naked

Naked

_I'm naked around you – does it show?_

Naked by Avril Lavigne

Rarely had Hermione ever disliked doing Prefect duties. Now, however, she just wished they could be over. Professor McGonagall had told all the prefects to patrol the corridors on the train ride home to make sure the students stayed in their compartments. It was hardly how she pictures her last Hogwarts Express ride.

Hermione glanced at Ron and then quickly looked away before he could catch her. The air around them was filled with a thick, tense, uncomfortable silence. There were a lot of things left unsaid between them. Too many. If one was to be technical (and Hermione usually was), at least two-and-a-half years worth.

And yet, for just a few moments in time at Dumbledore's funeral, none of it seemed to matter. Ron had let her unload all of her despair on his shoulders without hesitation. They had been Ron and Hermione again. But now, after all was said and done, she felt more than a little bit embarrassed. After the emotional beating she had taken from him this year, she was feeling extremely vulnerable around him and she hated it. Whether he knew it or not, Ron quite literally held her heart in his hands and she'd be damned if she even tried to get it back.

"So…" she said apprehensively. She forced herself to look at him. This odd silence was very unnerving.

"Err," he replied. "I'm glad there's nobody in the corridors."

"Right," she said, relieved to have something to talk about. "Me too. I know McGonagall strictly told us to keep everyone to his or her compartments, but I don't know how much of a disciplinarian I could be today. I just don't think I have it in me."

Ron sighed. "Me neither. I…I can't believe this is the last time we'll be riding the train home. It just feels weird because it's so unexpected, you know?"

"I know. I was hoping that I might become Head Girl next year, but now I guess I'll never find out."

"Oh please," he snorted. "Like anyone ever even doubted it since our first year."

"Yes, well…" she said sheepishly and pinked slightly. She knew she was smart, and also knew everyone else knew she was smart, but she never liked to flaunt it in fear of getting called a know-it-all like she used to be called when she was little.

"I wouldn't give up searching for the Horcruxes with Harry for anything in the world, not even a Head Girl badge," she said loyally. It reminded her of their first year when Harry had said something along the lines of _"What does it matter to Voldemort if Gryffindor wins the House cup? Do you think that would stop him from killing you and your families?" _And he was right. Sometimes (more than she would ever admit to him, of course) she was very proud to be Harry Potter's friend. Not because he was famous or for any of the noble things he had done, but just because of the kind of person he was.

"Or a qudditch cup," Ron added in a mock wistful tone. And yet Hermione knew he felt exactly the same way she did.

She laughed softly. "Precisely."

Now this was much better. This was how things were supposed to be between them. They were how they used to be before the whole Lavender/Christmas debacle. True, they had forgiven each other and were openly friends again. But when Harry was not around them (which he often wasn't) and left them alone together, they were never truly comfortable with each other anymore. And she knew it was because they were both too afraid to admit they had feelings for each other. The situation would actually be very laughable if it weren't happening to her. Because truthfully, she more or less had an idea about what he felt for her. And she _definitely_ knew how she felt about him. And though she hadn't exactly made a public announcement about her feelings, he had to have known what she felt anyway. So really, they had no excuse. Well, except…

Except for the fact that they were each too proud and too stubborn to be the first one to admit. Ron and Hermione, who had fought Death Eaters even though they had been outnumbered, who pushed on even in the worst of situations, was both too afraid to do a simple little thing like declare their feelings for one another.

_Pathetic!_ She thought. And yet still she did nothing about it.

They had almost reached their compartment when suddenly Luna and Neville came tumbling out of it and they heard a loud shout. Without a moment's hesitation, Ron and Hermione both whipped out their wands and raised them before going over to investigate. The war had taught them to always be on your guard no matter how innocent the situation seemed, although to Hermione, it looked like there was nothing guiltless about it.

"What happened?" she asked them.

"And why is this door locked?" Ron asked while rattling the handle trying to get it open in vain. He tried _Alohomora_ but still it would not budge.

Neville, who was slightly red in the face, gulped and said, "Harry and Ginny are in there. They were going on in hushed tones so that were couldn't hear what they were saying. But then Harry must have said something to upset her because —"

"—Because next thing you know, Ginny exploded and Neville and I thought it best if we gave them some privacy," she said in an non-chalant way that suggested that she habitually fled the room at the first signs at Ginny Weasley's temper.

"So now Harry finally gets to experience 'The Wrath of Ginny'," Ron said sarcastically. He went to press his ear against the door but Hermione stopped him.

"They would've put Silencing and Impertuable Charms around it," she said by way of explanation.

"So what are we supposed to do, just sit here and make bets on who can scream the loudest, which by the way my money's in Ginny?"

"We'll just have to cover for them, I guess," she said anxiously. No matter how many times she'd already done it, the thought of getting in trouble always scared her. "Neville and Luna, can you go to another compartment for now?"

"Of course," Luna said and breezed down the corridor, Neville in tow.

"Great, just great. Perfect ending to a perfect day, don't you think?"

Hermione turned to him. "You'd really bet on Ginny? I think Harry can definitely out-scream Ginny. Don't you remember at Grimmauld Place?"

"No, see, you don't know. Harry's big outbursts last year would only be a temper tantrum in Ginny's book. That's why whenever he yelled it didn't faze her much. In fact, I'm surprised the charm is even holding up."

"Well, Harry can be really mean sometimes, and that just makes it so much more worse."

Ron shook his head in disagreement. "True, Harry can be mean, but Ginny can be downright venomous. Like when Harry and I caught…" he broke off suddenly and got an odd look on his face.

"Caught what? What did you and Harry catch her doing?" Hermione asked, very intrigued. Whatever had went down, why hadn't she known of it?

"It's nothing, Hermione," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"Come on, just tell me."

"Dammit, Hermione, I said no! Just leave it alone," he snapped.

His words and tone stung her and incensed her at the same time. She'd only wanted to know what it was that made him so evasive. It wasn't like she was demanding much from him.

It always hurt her feeling so much when Harry and Ron kept things from her. They were supposed to be a trio, but instead they were more like a duo plus a tag-along. But Hermione had at least figured that they had gotten past all this. She had come to accept that Harry and Ron were both boys and so therefore likely to share boy things. She had and always would be the girl (and frankly, she'd be a bit worried if her girl status changed). But this – this obviously wasn't something just between the guys.

"Fine," she snapped back, feeling like she had all of the maturity of a five year old. "But at least Harry and Ginny can talk about the problems instead of acting like everything is 'fine, just fine' between them."

Hermione hadn't meant to say it. She hadn't meant to blurt out the thing they had been avoiding so profusely. But she also felt relieved, because she was tired of being in a hiatus.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, getting red in the face.

"Figure it out," she spat and started to stalk away. She was confident that he would follow.

And sure enough, just as she barely managed to take a few steps, he caught her wrist and pulled on it (quite hard, actually) so that she was jerked right back to him.

"No," he said stubbornly. He grabbed onto her other wrist, spun her around, and pinned her against the wall. His body was excitingly close to hers, so close that she could feel his warm breath graze her hairline. Ron seemed to realize the closeness too because his breathing hitched and he unconsciously liked his lips.

She had dreamed of being in this position for so long that now that it was actually happening, it didn't seem real. But it was, and she felt like she needed this kiss that was waiting to happen even more than she needed air. She loved the fire that she felt raging within her and between them, and she didn't care if she got burned.

She brought her hand up to the back of his neck at the base and pulled his head down so that his lips met hers. Obviously, she caught him by surprise (she took herself by surprise as well; never could she have ever imagined that it would be her to initiate a kiss between them) because he gasped into her mouth. But when she started moving her lips against his, he began to match her rhythm.

It was Heaven. Pure Heaven. Hermione was completely lost and instead thinking she just let her senses take over. She tangled her hands in his hair, which elicited a groan from him. It made her feel powerful and emboldened her to slowly slide her tongue against his teeth and gently prod them open. Ron put his hands intimately on her hips, making her feel very feminine, something she didn't feel often.

Much as she didn't want to, Hermione felt like she should end the kiss before things got out of control, and by the way she was feeling, that was bound to happen. She slid her hand up to his chest and lightly pushed him off of her. His eyes were glazed over and she knew her's had to be too.

"That was…" he said.

"Yeah," she agreed, not really knowing what she was agreeing to, but knowing she agreed all the same.

"What were we fighting about again?"

"Err…something about…" She couldn't believe how she wasn't able to express a single coherent thought. Ron's abilities both frightened and excited her.

Suddenly the compartment door burst open and Ginny came storming out.

"Ginny wait!" Harry yelled after her, but she had already disappeared. Hermione tried to clear her head because she felt like she always needed one with an upset Harry.

"What happened?" she asked, going to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Did she hit you?"

Hermione glared at Ron, but he was still looking at Harry, oblivious. His blatant insensitivity never ceased to infuriate her.

"Worse," Harry said, looking dejected. "She told me she hated me." He walked back into the compartment with his head low. Ron and Hermione would be there for him.

But first, they shared a secret look, and Hermione knew they would be able to work everything out. They still had a bumpy road ahead of them, with plenty of trials. However, their kiss had stripped away all of their defenses, letting them finally be able to move on.

And no matter what happened, Hermione knew that she would always have her boys.


	2. In The Altogether

**In The Altogether**

_"You see right through me and I can't hide"_

- Avril Lavigne "Naked"

**Author's Note: Sooo sorry about the huge delay! First, I was having major computer troubles. And then I accidently updated this as a seperate story, so then I deleted it. Finally, I think I have it right! Please enjoy this! Oh yeah, and the last chapter is done - just finished it today, actually - and I'll be posting it soon.**

Today was probably was one of the worst days in Harry's life. And he had some real stinkers.

First was the day his parents died, though he couldn't remember that one. There was the day that the Dursley's had brought home the toy that _he'd _really wanted more than anything for Dudley, and nothing for him. It had shattered his little five-year-old heart. He skipped ahead to some of his worst school memories, (remarkably, a lot of them featured Snape or Malfoy) including when Sirius died. And today joined the ranks.

Not only was Dumbledore's funeral today, he had broken up with Ginny - quite possibly the girl he could have loved, and was leaving the place he had ever really called home for six years, for an indefinite amount of time to go on a very dangerous mission. And now he had to explain that to Ginny.

She had taken their break-up surprisingly well. There were no tears or tantrums, or any other girly things. She was right when she guessed he was giving her up for her own good, she just had no idea to what extent that went. He would be gone to who know's where, for who knows how long. To call theirs a "long distance relationship" would have been an understatement. The only thing is, she didn't know he was leaving yet, and he couldn't even tell her the full reason why. But he did care about her, and she deserved to at least know that he would be gone. If only there was a easy way...

"I have something to tell you," he said to her quietly. They were currently on the train from Hogwarts to go home. They were sharing a compartment with Neville, Luna, Ron and Hermione, the latter two on prefect duties. Ron and Hermione were coming with him, and Ginny he felt he had to tell, but he really didn't want Neville and Luna to know.

"What is it?" She asked in a quiet tone matching his. She turned around slightly in her chair to get closer to him. Harry got a whiff of her unique smell and his stomach turned. This was going to be hard!

He could feel Neville and Luna's eyes on him, and when he looked up at them, they (well Neville at least) quickly turned back around. This made him even more nervous, and he just quickly blurted out to Ginny, "I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year."

"What do you mean?" she said, her eyes narrowing and no longer quiet. He knew she wouldn't take it well and he was starting to doubt his decision. Perhaps he could embelish the already painted excuse he was going to give her.

"Well, er, since Dumbledore...you know...and everything, I, er, decided it wouldn't be safe for me to return and...stuff." Even to his own ears it sounded less-than-eloquent and Ginny would have to be an imbecile to see through it.

And sure enough: "Bull," she hissed. Neville and Luna weren't even pretending not to listen now. This was definetly _not _a good idea.

"It's the truth," he foolishly persisted. "You know that, er, Voldemort's after me and the like, and now that Hogwarts is unprotected, well...you know." There was a collective wince when Harry said Voldemort's name, even though Harry was sure the other two couldn't hear the rest of what he was saying. People always just to be tuned to hearing his name.

"No, I don't know," she said coldly. "But what I do know is that you're lying you arse off to me right now. You're stumbling over your words more idioticly than usual, and you're sweatly like crazy."

Under normal cirumstances Harry might take offense to that. "It's hot."

"Well it's about to be a damned inferno if you don't tell me what I want to hear right now!" Yeah, Neville and Luna definetly hear that one.

"I thought I _was _telling you what you wanted to hear," he mumbled. Just turned out she didn't like it so much.

"Then turn it around to the truth, because I'm losing my patience." TranslationGinny was a ticking bomb. He resigned himself to just be honest with her and get it over with.

"Well the truth is..." he started. But he knew there were eager ears in the compartment, and he did _not_ want this overheard. He bent really close to her ear and whisped, "After the wedding, I'm going to take care of some personal business, and then I'm going away." There. He said it.

"Like a vacation?" she said lowly to him. She had calmed down, at least.

"Er, not exacly. One could call it an adventure but - "

"WHAT!"

" - I wouldn't," he finished weakly.

Next thing he knew, Neville and Luna were flying out the door (and if he wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw Ron and Hermione's shocked faces for a moment) and it slammed behind them, and Ginny was standing up andhad her wand pointed at it, with a most deadly look on her face.

"I can't believe this! You're going on an adventure! No wonder you broke up with me! You have bigger and better things ahead of you than just being with me. I must seem like a big joke to you!"

Harry jumped up. "Ginny, it's not like that! Not at all!"

"Oh yeah? So what's it like then?" She spat, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't know! I can't explain it."

"You mean you just don't want to explain it."

"That's not true. I just don't know how."

"Try."

How could he put that he was going to try to find the horcruxes that would destroy Voldemort once and for all. That he was going to save all wizard - no - humankind from that immortal piece of skum? That he felt lost and was sorely in need of some guidance, but had lost anybody who could help him at least start his search? How could he possibly put _any_ of that in a way she would understand?

"You're being more than a little unfair to me, you know! It's not like we're going off to have a hopping good time and - "

"What do you mean 'we'?" Then it dawned on her. "No."

"Well of course I have to take Ron and Hermione with me. I need them."

"But you don't need me?" Tears were starting to form in her eyes. God, how he hated this. He knew she felt left out, and he couldn't blame her.

"I do need you," he insisted. "But Ron and Hermione are the only one's who've been with me through this from the beginning. They're the only one's who've got a clue about what we're facing. I need Hermione's wisdom and smarts and Ron's bravery and willingness, and both their loyalty and - I just need them! I need them with me!" Harry felt stripped down to nothing, baring his soul like this to her. He had never had to put his feelings about his friends into words before. They were his rock. What would he do without them? Harry felt a strong rush of gratefulness towards them.

"Need them for what exactly?"

"I can't tell you. All I can say is that before Dumbledore died, he told me something really important, and now I have to finished what he started.

Ginny seemed to be taking this all in. She sat back down slowly and looked pensive. Harry didn't know whether to sit or stand, so he just remained standing.

"Take me with you!" She said suddenly. "I can come too! I'm brave and willing and smart and loyal!" She quickly got back up again and took him by the shoulders. "Please Harry, say you will!"

It was a very tempting thought. She was all those things and more. And it would be nice to have her around, too.

Harry inwardly sighed. There was no way he could take her with them. For one thing, nobody in her famiy would ever let her come, including Ron. And for good reason too. Their mission would be very dangerous, and he didn't want to see her hurt or worse on his account. He already carried the stain of two deaths on his conscience, and it was bad enough that Ron and Hermione would be with him. He wouldn't be adding Ginny to his soul.

"I'm sorry Ginny - I can't." There were no point in going into the whys and hows with her. Most likely, she already knew them herself, even if she wouldn't admit them.

"I hate you," she said with the most venom he had ever heard anybody say something with. Ginny threw the door open and stormed away.

"Ginny wait!" He stepped out to the corridor, called after her uselessly, knowing she wouldn't come back. Ron and Hermione were there waiting for him. Hermione came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Did she hit you?" Leave it to Ron to be the one to ask the blunt question.

"Worse," he said, though it sure felt like she did. He walked back inside the compartment, feeling very low. Not only did horrible things just pass, more horrible things were still to come.

He felt Ron and Hermione's comforting presence and felt the tiniest bit better. At least no matter what happened, Harry and his best friends would face it together.


	3. Birthday Suit

**Birthday Suit**

_"I'm naked around you, and it feels alright"_  
- Avril Lavigne "Naked"

**Author's Note: I took a less conventional turn with this finale, and I hope you enjoy the "surprise ending".**

For the million-and-one time, Neville felt unimportant. Invisble. And that wasn't so far from the truth either - Harry and Ginny were acting like he wasn't even there. He took almost no comfort in the fact that Luna was included in this treatment. He sighed. You didn't need an invisibility cloak if you were Neville Longbottom.

He felt slightly disgusted with himself for the self-pity act. After all, today had been Dumbledore's funeral and he knew that Harry had a lot to deal with. He just felt slightly abandoned. Yes, Ron and Hermione _had _to do their prefect duties. And it _did_ look as if Harry was telling Ginny something very important. Of course, Luna was in her own world as usual, and if being blantantly ignored bothered her, she didn't outwardly show it. But where did that leave him? He had no close confidantes of his own, and he played second, third, and so on to everbody. Neville was nobody's first, and as much as he tried to shake the horrible thought out of his head, it still hurtfully lingered.

Even his grandmother didn't love or appreciate him for who he was; she was always envisioning who he could be, namely his father. And as much as he admired his father, and his mother too, he didn't want to be him.

Every now and then he would subconsciencely look up and then quickly look away. He wasn't trying to be nosy, he was just a little curious. Harry and Ginny were speaking in low tones that was hard to understand. However, it was becoming increasingly obvious that they weren't having just a normal conversation that they didn't want overheard. They were arguing. Every now and then he caught (without deliberately eavesdropping mind you) and he knew they was saying something about Dumbledore and Hogwarts, though he couldn't piece it together.

"Bull," Ginny hissed loudly enough for him to hear clearly, and he knew that her fire was fully ignited by now, and he was _very_ glad that he wasn't Harry right now.

Harry said something about You-Know-Who and Neville involuntarily winced. Looking over at Luna, he saw she was not unaffected as well. They exchanged glances and he lifted his eyebrows. She was bold enough to stare openly at the two of them. But suddenly, the question of to listen or not to listen became moot at Ginny exclaimed a loud "WHAT!" that filled the tiny compartment until it seemed to shake. Luna and Neville instinctively leapt up and bounded for the door, almost tearing it off of its hinges in their desperation to flee.

When they reached the corridor, they almost ran into Ron and Hermione, who were, most understandably, wearing shocked expressions on their faces. They both had their wands raised and ready for action.

"What happened?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"And why is this door locked?" Ron asked while rattling the handle trying to get it open in vain. He tried Alohomora, but still it would not budge.

Neville wondered who was more likely to lock the door - Harry, who probably didn't want to be overheard, or Ginny, who wanted to make sure that Harry had no way of escape. "Harry and Ginny are in there. They were going on in hushed tones so that we couldn't hear what they were saying. But then Harry must have said something to upset her because —"

"—Because next thing you know, Ginny exploded and Neville and I thought it best if we gave them some privacy," Luna said in such a non-chalant way that it made them seem less like idiots for fleeing at Ginny's temper, though he wasn't sure if that was exactly Luna's intentions.

"So now Harry finally gets to experience 'The Wrath of Ginny'," Ron said sarcastically. He went to press his ear against the door but Hermione stopped him.

"They would've put Silencing and Impertuable Charms around it," she explained to him.

"So what are we supposed to do, just sit here and make bets on who can scream the loudest, which by the way my money's in Ginny?"

"We'll just have to cover for them, I guess," she said anxiously, and he could tell that she didn't like the idea of possibly getting in trouble. "Neville and Luna, can you go to another compartment for now?"

"Of course," Luna answered for both of them. She started down the corridor and he thought it best if he followed.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked her.

"I can go sit with some of my classmates from Ravenclaw. You're welcome to join me, and I'm sure they won't mind. Well actually, they might mind if I sit with them, but they won't mind if you sit with them."

Neville furrowed his brow in confusion. "But they're your friends. Why would they want me to sit with them and not you?"

Luna shrugged. "I'm sure they'd prefer anyone over me. I think they think me a bit odd."

He couldn't blame them. He thought of Luna as less than a friend, but more than an acquaintance. It was not a matter of opinion to call Luna odd, yet he didn't like it when their peers treated her like a total pariah. They were neither close nor distant. They just _were_ and Neville liked it that way.

Nonetheless, he said, "No thanks, I think I'll just find another compartment." He wasn't particularly in the mood to sit with strangers anyway.

She shrugged again. "Suit yourself," she said and slipped into a door. He saw Dean coming down the corridor and waved a greeting.

"What's up Nev?"

"Nothing much. My compartment's suddenly filled up. Can I sit with you?"

"Sure. But what happened that you had to leave yours?" He didn't want to say anything about Harry or Ginny that wasn't his business to say. Fortuneately, he wouldn't have to. Ginny herself came storming down the corrifor and she was clearly upset.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked her in slight alarm. Tears were streaming down her face and her hair was wild. She actually looked pretty scary.

"Dean," she croaked and fled into his arms. He bemusedly comforted her and dragged her down the hall.

Alone again.

If only he had somebody who would always be there for _him_, and he would be more than glad to return the favor. After so many years in school and he still had yet to make any friends...

_Pathetic Neville!_ he thought.

So lost in his thoughts, he had no idea that he was sharing the corridor with anybody until he came, quite literally, forhead to forhead with Parvati.

"Ow!" They both exclaimed. And then, "I'm sorry!"

"I didn't see you," said Neville.

"Me neither. I was looking for Dean, who was supposed to be looking for Seamus and Lavender."

"Dean's off with Ginny."

"Damn! That means means I have to pay for all the food _again_! That's why I wanted everybody to hurry their asses up because the lunch trolley is almost here."

He laughed nervously. Parvati was a very beautiful girl and he always felt awkward in her presence. "Where, um, did Seamus and Lavender go?"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Oh, they're off snogging somewhere," she said. "They're not going together or anything, they just like to snog every once and awhile," she added when she saw his stunned face.

"Well...that's...yeah."

She smirked. "I know."

There was a silence, but strangely enough, it didn't feel very uncomfortable. A lot of people thought Parvati was a ditz just because she hung out with Lavender, but those in Gryffindor knew that she was actually pretty intelligent. Most people liked her because she was smart, pretty and just fun to be around, and Neville felt drawn into her charm.

"Would you like to join me instead, that is, if you don't have somewhere else to be?"

He let out a short laugh. "Hardly." And then he immediately blushed.

Parvati giggled. "Ok then." She took him by the hand and led him inside. "You know, it's a shame we don't know each other better. Times are so uncertain and school's almost over and...I just don't want to say that I missed out, you know?"

Neville gulped. "Yeah, I know."

Was this really happening? He and Parvati Patil having their first private conversation in six years and they actually found a lot to talk about. They were laughing, getting along, and having a good time? They both wished they had started talking sooner. And if he wasn't mistaken (and he very well could have been), it almost seemed like she was hinting at more. He hoped beyond hope that this wasn't a dream.

Because if it was, Neville didn't want to wake up.

**Author's Note: Well, I finally finished! I had a bout of inspiration the other night on how to wrap the last part of Naked up, and I thought, yes! why not? Stranger things have happened than Neville/Parvati, which to me translates to te adorably dorky guy getting th beautiful girl in real life, which does happen. Hopefully if you think about that, it might put it more into perpesctive for you, instead of having you think I'm weird for writing such a strange pairing (assuming you do think that, which I might be wrong). Sorry, this author's note is being written 2:30 am and you'll have to forgive me for my rambling note. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the end of the Naked series, though don't be surprised if somewhere down the road something else becomes of it.**


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